well, a couple of angles to look at this. First question would be where is the leasing company based and thus what tariffs would be applicable.

It also would not answer the issue of Boeing having to import those parts in the first place before being able to sell the assembled plane!

Then the question becomes would the plane be subject to import tariffs if based in the US even if leased by a foreign leasing company.

Ultimately the leasing question would not absolve Boeing of the parts import tariffs issue, thus I think it’s a moot point… my guess is that over the next few days/weeks/months the administration will receive more & more pressure for exemptions once the full scale of the impact of the 10% global tariff takes effect (across multiple industries).

And remember this is global parts for the 787… I expect 737’s have similar global supply chains and to be able to switch vendors, and receive the appropriate certifications would take months, if not years… and even if sourced elsewhere would STILL be subject to the global 10% tariff (at time of writing).

Of course the Chinese ban on US planes and parts also affects production of the Chinese COMAC frames… it really is a game of who blinks first…

Regardless of whether the long term effects of tariffs is a good or bad thing (trying to keep away from the political discussion!), the effect of the global 10% tariff has immediate effects even if we can’t initially see them today. As for United, it might temporarily help with the advance delivery of some frames using existing inventory, but long term it has to have an effect (until/unless exceptions are made). Of course Airbus has an assembly line in China so I can’t imagine how it doesn’t help them (in the Chinese market).

Will be really interesting to see how Kirby walks the tightrope tomorrow! Four empty seats in Polaris on my flight back from the UK recently… First time i’ve seen an empty Polaris seat since the pandemic…